Mahogany Reynolds

Mahogany Reynolds moved to central New Jersey from Detroit almost five years ago to pursue her goal of becoming an actor. After reading the Back Stage East casting notice for Pit Stop, a nonunion independent short film, she decided to audition in the hope it would provide an opportunity to jumpstart her acting career.

Directed by Marcus Thompson and currently in postproduction, Pit Stop follows a husband and wife on a road trip with their two children. The family makes a pit stop at a gas station, where the husband meets someone of questionable character. Reynolds auditioned for the role of the wife but wound up cast as a schizophrenic homeless woman. "I created a back story of my character, who ran away from home," Reynolds says. "My role was small, but it was a start to my goal of becoming a leading role film actress."

Reynolds was active in theatre in high school, and she wrote two plays while in college. She attended Ferris State University and Grand Valley State University, both in Michigan. After graduating from the latter with a B.A. in communications and determined to utilize her degree, Reynolds worked for a few newspapers in the state, including the Grand Rapids Times, a weekly where she was an entertainment reporter. She's currently working on a book titled Searching for My Destiny, the semiautobiographical story of a young girl who graduates from college and faces challenges in pursuing an entertainment career while dealing with depression.

Reynolds encourages other actors to hang in there when frustration kicks in. "I would encourage fellow beginning actors to stay focused," she says. "There will be many distractions in terms of family members who don't believe in you, or having to work a lot of hours at your day job. But stay focused on what you really want to do."

Like many other actors, Reynolds is currently seeking an agent. Her recent jobs include several hair advertisements and a modeling job with a major pharmaceutical company, and she encourages other actors to hang in there when frustration kicks in. "I would encourage fellow beginning actors to stay focused," she says. "There will be many distractions in terms of family members who don't believe in you, or having to work a lot of hours at your day job. But stay focused on what you really want to do."

Have you scored an interesting role recently thanks to a casting notice in Back Stage? If so, email your story and your headshot to casting@backstage.com with the subject line "I Got Cast!"